A bit of *My dad can fight your dad* going on there Duckie.

Quote: the flying biscuit "there is a certain element of truth to the rose tinted teenage years argument, but i'm struggling to find many players that lacked Quality out of say the world war 3 team. Johnson,Drummond, Cullen, Ropati, Lyon, Woods, Crompton, Boyd, Tamati, Humphries, Jackson, Duane, Mcginty. Sanderson, Roberts. Cullen, Crompton, and Humphries were the only substandard players. Cullen was an awful centre, Crompton never really made the grade and like the Awful Tony Humphries was a regular reserve grade player rather than first team regular. That day We were missing Mike Gregory, and Mark Forster couldnt get in the side. it was a far better side than the one the bookies made the favourites to win the league this year.'" But relative to the other sides in the league at that time it was not special. It's easy to have selective memories. The 15-15 World War 3 game against Wigan has gone down in legend but look at the other results around it....we lost to Widnes the game before, we lost to Hunslet the next game and lost to Hull the next league game after that. A few weeks before World War 3 we'd got knocked out of the John Player at home to Oldham. www.rugbyleagueproject.org/seaso ... mmary.html What was going on with other teams in the league, was this just an era of unparalleled great rugby league where the likes of Hunslet and Oldham were packed with greats? It's like the 2000 season when Langer, Gee and Nikau came. We had that great win against Bradford were there were loads of brawls and we pulled off a great comeback after being out of the game at half time. Langer was genius that day. We finished 6th in the league that season, same as we did in the World War 3 season, and we also reached a Challenge Cup semi final. I'm sure if you look at results around that Bradford win we'd have been inconsistent just like in 87/88 but I prefer to look back at a line up that had Langer, Nikau, Nutley, Kohe-Love, Hunte and Briers in it and think what great days those were and I wouldn't mind having some of those guys in our team today. Imagine having those halfbacks today!

Quote: the flying biscuit "there is a certain element of truth to the rose tinted teenage years argument, but i'm struggling to find many players that lacked Quality out of say the world war 3 team. Johnson,Drummond, Cullen, Ropati, Lyon, Woods, Crompton, Boyd, Tamati, Humphries, Jackson, Duane, Mcginty. Sanderson, Roberts. Cullen, Crompton, and Humphries were the only substandard players. Cullen was an awful centre, Crompton never really made the grade and like the Awful Tony Humphries was a regular reserve grade player rather than first team regular. That day We were missing Mike Gregory, and Mark Forster couldnt get in the side. it was a far better side than the one the bookies made the favourites to win the league this year.'" But relative to the other sides in the league at that time it was not special. It's easy to have selective memories. The 15-15 World War 3 game against Wigan has gone down in legend but look at the other results around it....we lost to Widnes the game before, we lost to Hunslet the next game and lost to Hull the next league game after that. A few weeks before World War 3 we'd got knocked out of the John Player at home to Oldham. www.rugbyleagueproject.org/seaso ... mmary.html What was going on with other teams in the league, was this just an era of unparalleled great rugby league where the likes of Hunslet and Oldham were packed with greats? It's like the 2000 season when Langer, Gee and Nikau came. We had that great win against Bradford were there were loads of brawls and we pulled off a great comeback after being out of the game at half time. Langer was genius that day. We finished 6th in the league that season, same as we did in the World War 3 season, and we also reached a Challenge Cup semi final. I'm sure if you look at results around that Bradford win we'd have been inconsistent just like in 87/88 but I prefer to look back at a line up that had Langer, Nikau, Nutley, Kohe-Love, Hunte and Briers in it and think what great days those were and I wouldn't mind having some of those guys in our team today. Imagine having those halfbacks today!

Not familiar with the Craven Park story, MKC, but I did hear of a certain Kiwi taxi driver making an Andy Gregory size imprint into some metal lockers, after a training session.

I can still picture myself on a sunny Saturday morning, going absolutely mental, when Mike Greg took that pass. One of my fave RL moments, and had a lump in my throat the size of a cricket ball, when they showed it on SPotY, just a few weeks after his death, when they do that little piece on "sports stars who have left us this year".

Another memory of MIKE Greg, was the lead up to transfer deadline day in 1989 (so players cold be eligible for Challenge Cup, otherwise, they'd be cup-tied), when rumours were RIFE that Greg was about to sign for "them". A lad who I worked with, rang the club office, and asked had he been sold. He got the answer he (and all the rest of Warrington) wanted.

Mike's and Briers' loyalty to our club, should NEVER be forgotten. It's a pity another Gregory's loyalty wasn't so great.
Gregory engineered a move from Widnes, but unfortunately for him, his club of choice never came running. It did, 18 months later, though.

Fab posts Lefty, loved reading every one.
Just that this paragraph seems to indicate that Wigan wasn't in for Gregory.
They were, even before he signed for Widnes as a kid he went against his mothers wish and signed a great deal to Widnes...Wigan at that time had major issues and it followed with relegation for them.

As I pointed out right at the start of this topic, Gregory openly admitted that he used Warrington as a stepping stone to go to Wigan.

He wanted out of Widnes a couple of times and I think it got to a point he would not play for them and he stayed away from the club...not entirely sure on that.

What I am sure of is Widnes were the top side along with Wigan.
Widnes refused to sell Andy Gregory to Wigan at all costs. Wigan would have paid almost anything for him too.

He was told of Warrington's interest and that they had done a deal.
If I remember correctly, that was the exchange deal with John Fieldhouse plus cash that on paper was a World record deal.
(Too bad we let Fieldhouse move though, the two if them in them same team would really had been a marker.)

Gregory did however give almost everything into playing for Warrington, except for the golf day bunk I mentioned earlier. I bet he wont do a warts n all.
He probably thinks nobody knew of that....the guy he played his round with telling me years ago. He wasn't a friend of him, just a business colleague of his invitation mate.
I don't know whether it was something to do with his move to Wigan, but I bet he wont pen it in his book.

So Lefty...Wigan was always in for Gregory but they were either too crap or too good at the time. Gregory was always going to for fill his mother's wish to play for Wigan and if it meant going to Warrington with the attitude of doing a poop on us to get there, then do be it.

He has openly admitted it and his only cotton wool around the period was his remark of him having great memories and enjoying his stint playing at Warrington. A shallow view.

To sum up.
A message to Andy.
Looking back at all the messages on this topic, you've been given so many great comments and memories from it.
I think most of us have reluctantly given them, but you were such a fantastic player and we cannot deny you that accolade, but in doing so it has opened up scared wounds for us.
It seems we had far more loyalty to you than you had to us.

So basically Andy Gregory never really wanted to join us because he wanted to play for his home town club, and then after a couple of years he angled for a move for his home town club.....I am shocked.

What about if a Warrington lad played for Widnes, became the best halfback in the game and wanted to join us, but Widnes wouldn't sell to us so they palmed him off to Wigan, then after a couple of years he found his way to ditch the pie eaters to join us.....would we all be judging his character, or would we say fair play to him.

Was Andy Gregory really a worse person than the great Warrington hero Les Boyd who joined us because his Australian career was ended by him eye gouging an opponent on the field. If we can forgive a player for eye gouging then surely we can cut Andy Gregory a bit of slack.

Besides AG leaving gave us the chance to see John Woods in the primrose and blue which we otherwise wouldn't have done.

I love reading your posts.
They are always well written and lots of thought and depth.
Yet this post surprises me. Totally the opposite.
Almost as if you didn't write it.
Either that or it become a topic you probably care little of now and it shows.

The topic has come to the end of its shelf life hence my summing up.
On this first occasion, I may have done better than you.

I will look forward to reading your next post on another topic. I don't think opinion will sway on this one.

sallys had you all on toast here.

andy was a fine player,probably the best of his time.but,it's a big but,remember gerry helme,jackie edwards? he was not in their league.
my fave? parry gordon,selfless.a real gent,got better with age.gave greg.a run for his money.unforgetable.

Please re-read the last 2 sentences of my text at the bottom of page 9.
I've always questioned Gregory's commitment to our club, and his desire to join Wigan.
He tried to get there, before he joined us, and then he eventually got his wish, when he was with us.

Duckie, since when have you been this forum's resident post critic/announcer of topics that are coming to an end?

The days before Super League were more maverick times contractually with players part time or at best fitting work around their playing requirements. Wigan haven't always been the beneficiaries of this and in the late 70's early 80's lost the likes of Wright, Cunningham, OLoughlin, Fairbairn to what were then more successful clubs and failed to pick up the junior talent such as Greg and Lydon. You guys views may be somewhat skewed as players who have featured for both Wigan and Wire are rare, top players rarer still. For me Gregory, excluding short term Aussies, was in the top 3 most talented players I have ever seen play for Wigan.

What started as an Andy Gregory slagging off contest (and we did), has actually turned into a very interesting thread with some great comments. Lefty, you make some great points and I agree with just about all of them. I've only read the last 3 pages this morning, and there are some great arguments. There's mention of cerain prominent members of the pack ageing, but if you move forward from 1987 to 1990, most of these players had been replaced. Look at the 1990 Cup Final pack, actually not a bad front row, with one very controversial non-selection left with us on the terraces.
To go back to Andy Gregory, yes, great player, but someone with no loyalty whatsoever. Still say Parry Gordon was a better player (but anyone who's read my posts on Parry would expect me to say that).

Simple. It could be argued AG was a first class player and a second rate human being.